Martyn White | Thursday, 22 October 2026
To follow on from the Nasty Charlie last week I'm going to look at the Gotcha, because if the Nasty is the OG bonefish fly, maybe the Gotcha is the G.O.A.T.
McVay's Gotcha, to give it its full name is fantastic and I don't think I'm being hyperbolic to suggest it might be the best ever. It's pretty much a staple everywhere, in fact the only place I can think of where it's not on essentially every guide or lodge's fly list is Hawaii. Even so, I once caught a nice Oahu bone on a gotcha, so make of that what you will.
A non-fishing friend was at my place once while I was getting for a trip and there were a few flies on my table while we were talking. He picked one up and asked what the fish were supposed to think it was, then scoffed when I said a small shrimp. He just didn't know how to see it, but the bones do; The shell pink danvilles is a pretty natural, shrimp-like looking colour but is highly fluorescent for grabbing attention. It's flashy but the wing difuses a bit of that and the diamond braid body isn't too blingy, really giving a nice muted translucent shrimpiness that takes the pinky tinge from the shell pink thread below. And when viewed from above it's pretty much the shape of a small fleeing shrimp too. There's just enough pop from the thread head and crystal flash in the wing to help a fish pick it out on the fly, but very little in the fly that might give them a reason to refuse it.
Here's the pattern:
Hook: Saltwater 8-1/0
Thread: Gothca pink Danville's
Weight: Bead chain or dumbbells
Tail: Pearl Mylar pipe
Body: Pearl diamond braid
Wing: Blonde crafe fur & pearl or yellow crystal flash.
You can add rubber legs and eyes and other accoutrements but I don't think it's really necessary, there may be a day where a fish that would have refused a legless gotcha will eat one wih legs, but it's entirely unknowable. If you feel more confident with rubber legs then stick them in. Don't think it's just a bonefish fly either, loads of flats species will eat a Gotcha. Like all flies though, there will be days and situations where something else is better. Maybe you need something bulkier or darker, but on the whole the Gotcha is going to be the first choice for many people on many flats for a long time to come.